The proliferation of Internet web sites has enabled users to locate and access commercial “e-commerce” web sites that offer the sale of goods and/or services directly over the World Wide Web. In a typical “e-commerce” Internet web site, a plurality of hyperlinks are formatted as text and/or graphic controls (e.g., buttons, drop-down lists, check boxes, text boxes, and the like) and represent goods and/or services offered for sale by the site's proprietor.
Ideally, search engines provide a relatively level playing field for e-commerce merchants to compete and sell their goods and services. It is no longer inconceivable for a small business owner that sells a particular good to compete with a massive department store chain located in a different geographic region and that provides the same or similar good for sale. The ability of a plurality of parties to compete effectively over the Internet has driven the development of e-commerce software applications, such as well known e-commerce shopping cart applications that enable visitors of a web site to select specific items for sale and, thereafter, to purchase those items through on-line purchasing functionality.
Referring to the drawing figures in which like reference numerals refer to like elements, there is shown in FIGS. 1-7 a series of display screens representing a typical prior art e-commerce web site. In the examples shown in FIGS. 1-7, the web site offers a plurality of items for sale and generally arranged by category. The example prior art e-commerce web site shown in FIGS. 1-7 is representative of a web site for STAPLES department store.
As shown in FIG. 1, a series of general category hyperlinks directed to office supplies and furniture is provided. For example, below the category, Office Supplies, is a plurality of hyperlinks for batteries, binders and binder accessories, boards and easels, etc. FIG. 2 shows a display screen that represents results presented to a visitor of the web site after the hyperlink for Tape, Glue and Adhesives (FIG. 1) is selected. As shown in FIG. 2, more particular categories of tape, glue and adhesives are provided, including glue & adhesive products, invisible tape, mounting & specialty tapes, and the like.
FIG. 3 shows an example display screen of a typical prior art e-commerce web site after a visitor selects the hyperlink for tape dispensers (FIG. 2). A plurality of specific items and respective prices is provided in the display screen shown in FIG. 3 for the visitor to select and purchase. In the example shown in FIG. 4, the visitor has selected SCOTCH DESIGNER TAPE DISPENSER. As shown in the upper right hand corner of FIG. 4, the visitor has not selected any items for purchase, and, therefore, the shopping cart summary 10 is listed as empty. Also shown in FIG. 4, the visitor has entered three for the quantity of tape dispensers for purchase in the quantity text box 12.
FIG. 5 shows the same e-commerce web site display screen as shown in FIG. 4, but differs in that the shopping cart summary 10 indicates the visitor has selected three SCOTCH DESIGNER TAPE DISPENSERS.
FIG. 6 shows another product, SCOTCH TRANSPARENT TAPE, that has been selected by the visitor for purchase. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the visitor has entered a quantity of five for purchase, shown in quantity text box 12. Once the visitor selects add-to-cart button 14, the e-commerce site updates the visitor's e-commerce shopping cart with the newly added items, substantially as shown in the shopping cart summary 10, in FIG. 7.
Continuing with reference to FIG. 7, the visitor has several choices available to him. For example, the visitor can select checkout button 16, which typically provides a display screen that prompts the visitor to submit credit card or other payment information to complete the transaction. After the transaction is completed, then the goods (or services) are delivered in accordance with shipping arrangements provided in the e-commerce web site. Alternatively, the visitor can continue shopping and select more items to be entered into the e-commerce shopping cart. Also, the visitor can amend the contents of the e-commerce shopping cart by removing items that are provided therein, or by changing quantities of items in the shopping cart.
A shortcoming in the prior art exists because a visitor of an e-commerce web site is able to terminate the on-line session with the site, for example, by closing the web browser application. In most Windows-based web browser software applications, the visitor can click the X button in the top right portion of the windowed screen. Alternatively, the visitor can select File from a menu, and then select Exit from the File sub-menu. Moreover, a user of Windows-based web browser software can effectively terminate on-line session with an e-commerce web site by pressing the ALT key and F4 key simultaneously, or by pressing the CTRL key and the F4 key simultaneously. Further, a user can click a mouse button over an icon representation in the WINDOWS TASKBAR and select the choice, Close, from the respective menu. Still another method to terminate an on-line session includes navigating and/or “surfing” to another web site. For example, a visitor can type a URL for a different web site in a browser address bar and be presented with a different web site, thereby terminating the communication session with the e-commerce web site. Alternatively, a hyperlink to another web site may be provided in the e-commerce web site, thereby enabling the visitor to terminate his session with the e-commerce web site and begin a new session with the web site identified in the hyperlink.
Thus, there are many ways for an on-line shopping session to terminate prior to the completion of a sales transaction.
After goods or services have been selected and added to an e-commerce shopping cart, and the visitor terminates the on-line session with the e-commerce web site, the visitor might never return to the merchant's e-commerce web site again. This presents a drawback for on-line merchants in that revenue is not realized. In typical prior art e-commerce web sites, the merchant maintains a record of the contents added to the e-commerce shopping cart, and the next time the visitor establishes an on-line session with, and logs in to, the merchant's web site, the contents are presented again to the visitor.
On some e-commerce web sites, the contents of the shopping cart are saved and on other sites they never are. Typically, if a user is not logged in to an e-commerce site, for example, by submitting a unique user name and password, the contents are never displayed. Information regarding shopping cart contents are not usually stored locally on a user's device, such as in Internet cookies, and, therefore, e-commerce web site server do not automatically populate an electronic shopping cart without the user being logged in.